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Thursday, May 18, 2017

NeoCorium is a brand I had never heard of before, so when I was given the chance to try out their EGF & Stem Cell Facial Treatment, I looked into the product, and it sounded incredible. There are some pretty hefty claims, and I was excited to try it out for myself.

Why it worksNeoCorium’s clinical-grade facial treatment is an all-natural blend
of powerful active anti-aging mammal growth factors and stem cell
concentrate. This nutrient-dense formula feeds your skin
nourishing ceramides, proteins and minerals to intensely hydrate and
stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. Your face looks
revived and strengthened- resilient against the effects of aging.Our
EGF therapy helps rebuild healthy skin with epidermal growth factors,
transforming growth factors and stem cells. Vital amino acids,
phospholipids and glycosaminoglycans deliver and hold moisture in the
deepest layers of the face. Your skin’s structure is not only
maintained, but strengthened and can defend against oxidation and breakdown from aging and environmental stress.

So basically this sounds like magic in a bottle, right? I've been using this for a little while now, and after a solid few weeks of use, I can safely say that this product is pretty darn amazing! My skin woes started after my daughter was born. Long days in the NICU, open heart surgery, and just plain old not taking care of myself caught up with me. My skin was flaky, dry and oily at the same time, I was getting little lines around my eyes, and my skin just looked tired and dull. I used this every night for a week, and noticed a major difference in my skin. It no longer was flaky and I started getting a nice glow again after not seeing one for months. After a week, my skin was starting to feel sensitive (but I do have very sensitive skin), so I started using it about every third night. I was still seeing results, and now the lines around my eyes are starting to diminish. In the package, you receive the Derma Carrier, which is a nice moisturizer, and the EGF & Stem Cell Concentrate, which is like a serum. It also comes with little mixing plates that you place 4 pumps of the Derma Carrier in, and 3 drops of the Concentrate. Mix well and apply to the areas you want to treat. I just used it all over my face as I felt I needed help everywhere. Now, the cost may very well turn you away but it's worth taking a look into. It's a whopping $389, BUT if you sign up on their website, you can receive a code for some money off. Does this sound like a product you would try?

The benefits:
This cleanser is recommended for experienced Glycolic Acid users who are ready to kick results up a notch. Best used as part of an anti-aging regimen, NeoStrata Foaming Glycolic Wash targets congested pores and encourages cell renewal for skin that’s prepared for optimal benefits of the regimen that follows. Once you’ve tried it—you’ll never go back to a regular face wash again. Here’s to a fresh-faced, younger-looking you!

How to use: Twice a day, pump a moderate amount of foam into hands. Apply to wet skin and cover entire area. Rinse with water.

I first really enjoy that this is a super foamy cleanser. It makes it a great cleanser to use in the warmer months when my skin tends to be more oily. The scent is very medicinal to me, which I actually tend to like.

Now that I'm getting older, I really need to make an effort to consistently take care of my skin. Glycolic Acid used to not agree with me, and I'm thinking part of the reason was because my skin just didn't need it at the time. Glycolic Acid is an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and that is meant to work on the top layer of skin. It doesn't penetrate the pores like BHA's (beta hydroxy acid) do, which is what my skin typically loves. From the combination of getting older, and having a baby born early and being in the NICU for 4.5 months, it's taken quite a toll on my complexion. I've noticed it become more tired and dull looking, and the texture I have now is insane. After just one use of this cleanser, I did notice much softer skin, and that was even before moisturizing. After using this every night for over a week, my skin started looking more bright, and the texture seemed to slowly be getting better. Directions say to use this morning and night, but because I want to slowly introduce Glycolic Acid, I'm starting with just once, at night. I'm normally a person who thinks cleansers with fancy ingredients aren't really worth spending money on, since they just get rinsed down the drain. However, I have completely fallen for this cleanser and just might be buying this. You can find this cleanser here on the NeoStrata website.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Mother's Day is literally just around the corner, and if you're a procrastinator like I am, chances are you still need that perfect gift. it Cosmetics is a brand that I adore already, and these products are ones that anyone will love!

It Cosmetics makeup brushes are probably some of the best brushes I have come across. Their quality is top notch at a good price point. This is the Your Face & Eyes Essentials set. You get 5 travel sized brushes that can get your whole face made up. The brushes in the set include the Complexion, Crease, Shadow, Smudger, and Liner/Brow brushes. This retails for $30 and it's an $80 value.

Ah, blush! One of those products that I love and have a million of, but seem to rarely use. This is the Bye Bye Pores Blush in their famous shade Je Ne Sais Quoi. It's a STUNNING peachy pink shade that looks great on virtually everyone. This blush has optical blurring technology that diffuses the look of pores and discoloration. Great for oily skin that has larger pores, or mature skin that needs a bit of color. This product retails for $24.

Thursday, May 4, 2017

I'm finally able to share the products I used up every month now! April wasn't the best for using stuff up, but I currently have a few products on their last legs.

Starting off with a little bit of skincare, the first product I used up was the REN Mayblossom And Blue Cypress Balancing Facial Cleansing Gel. Phew, that's a long name! I did like this cleanser, but I could only get 2 uses out of it, so it's hard to say if I'd repurchase, if it's still available. It seems like it's nice for oily skin.

I have been working on the InstaNatural Youth Express Eye Serum for ages! I have a review here and now that it's completely used up, my final thoughts are it's a nice product, but I don't think I'd purchase myself. If you don't have any eye issues except for a tiny bit of dryness, you'll like this. If you have lines, wrinkles, dryness, and every other issue with the skin around your eyes, this isn't for you.

Last skincare product is from Borghese and it's their Intensifying Moisturizer. I used this as a serum underneath my regular moisturizer, and I really liked the extra hydration this gave. Even though I have oily skin, I've been battling dry, flaky skin in certain areas, and this helped immensely.

For bath and shower products, I only used up two. My husband helped with the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo, and we both liked it. It cleaned well, but I felt like it made my hair greasy faster.

I don't think The Body Shop still carries this line of shower gels, but the Shower Gels For Earth Lovers in Cucumber & Mint was so refreshing, and my skin LOVED it! It lathered up nicely and left my skin feeling so soft and hydrated, I barely needed moisturizer after.

The last sort of random product is the Wegmans brand One Daily Women's multi vitamin. What I liked about these is that they contain Folate and not Folic Acid. My body can't break down Folic Acid, which is the synthetic form of Folate, and it's surprisingly hard to find inexpensive multi's with Folate. Definite repurchase!

Number of products used up: 6Total used up for the year: 22

AS I said above, I didn't do so hot last month. I'm hoping this month will be better so I can make my goal of using up 150 products!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

I had some pretty lofty goals for April, and didn't quite make the mark. May is such a nice month to me weather wise, so I'm going to cut myself some slack and go with the flow this month. Lets recap how I did last month, and talk about what I'd like to do in May.

Goals from April

- Reach 2,000 pageviews on the blog: Didn't happen! I came in at just under 1,400 for the month, and that's ok. I ended up exhausting myself and didn't promote posts like I should have

- Have some ME time: Yes! I did have a little me time and treated myself to a haircut! I hadn't had a haircut in about 2 years, and it was just time to chop it all off and start fresh. I did also manage to hand off Olivia to her dad a few times so I could shower in peace and not have to rush.

- Continue writing 2 posts a week: Eh, not so much. I was doing so well from about the middle of March to middle of April. Like I mentioned above, I exhausted myself with taking care of Olivia, making sure the house got cleaned, getting her to doctors appointments, making dinner, etc. Life just got crazy and I fell into a bit of a funk. Luckily, I have some awesome friends who understand what I've been going through, so I feel better and am ready to continue growing my blog back up!

- Organize our house: It's getting there! I was doing really well and managed to donate quite a few trash bags of stuff, as well as throw away stuff we no longer needed or wanted. It seriously feels so good getting rid of junk! I always feel like my head clears and I can focus more when things are put in their right place. Of course, our house still isn't perfect (and probably never will be) and is taken over by baby stuff, but I've made some great progress.

GOALS FOR MAY

- 2,000 blog pageviews. I'm going to keep this as a goal because it's really so attainable, as long as I put in the effort.

- Have a family day. Since we brought Olivia home, I've been weird about being around germs and lots of people. We've slowly ventured out into the world, and I would like to go out as a family one day to either a park or flea market. Something with just the 3 of us.

- Do a face mask once a week. This one has been soooo hard! I'm still getting back into a skincare routine, and I've been slacking using face masks. I love how they make my skin feel, and I need to use up what I have in my stash.

- Organize Olivia's clothing. Ok, this has been a feat since she's been born! We've been incredibly lucky to have people give us so much clothing to last through about her first year of life. She's still small and is about to go into 3 to 6 month clothes. I just have so much to go through and sort, and I'm still trying to figure a way to make it easy on myself when she transitions to the next size.

These are my goals for the month. I am definitely going to cut myself some slack and if I don't hit something, I'm not going to worry. Taking care of Olivia is my #1 priority, and I'm not taking time away from her, as I'm sure most people would understand.